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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.